28 New Ways to Cook This Bird

Breasts are enticing—except the boring kind on factory-farmed fowl. Read below for chicks that will drive your tastebuds wild!

By Michael Ruhlman | Photograph by Misha Gravenor

All too often, cooks are underwhelmed by chicken. It’s bland. It’s expected. It’s less than inspiring. But you can avoid all that. Remember that the dark-meat parts (legs, thighs, wings) are rich in fat. You need to cook them longer to tenderize them. The white breast meat is naturally tender, so it cooks faster. Yet it’s so lean that you have to add fat and flavor. All chicken, though, can satisfy any craving—Chinese, Mexican, Thai. These easy meals take you there.

Roast the Ultimate Chicken

The Whole Recipe

Rain a crust of kosher salt onto an organic broiler or fryer chicken; then roast it in an oven-safe skillet at 450˚F until the cavity’s juices are clear, 60 to 90 minutes. Let it rest 15 minutes and dive in. Yeah, it’s really that simple.

You don’t have to get all fancy with roast chicken, but a few extra steps will pay off in flavor. Truss the bird or jam a halved lemon into the cavity to limit airflow and promote even cooking. Or deploy these sidekicks.

Garlic and Herbs

Halfway through roasting, add some thyme sprigs and a few lightly smashed garlic cloves to the skillet. Baste the chicken often with the fat. Or you could use fresh oregano and add lemon slices.

Jerk Paste

Before roasting, coat the bird with premade jerk paste. (We like Walkerswood brand.) It has onions, thyme, nutmeg, and searing-hot Scotch bonnet peppers. Serve with black beans and brown rice.

Behold Beautiful Breasts

Enter the Fry Zone

Start with canola and then, for richness, add a butter pat during the last few minutes.

Overcooking boneless, skinless breasts is easy. So pound the meat to a thickness of ¼" and start cooking. The breast is done when the flesh feels resistant, not squishy, to the touch. Try these prep ideas.

Schnitzel

Dredge a pounded breast in flour, then egg wash, then panko bread crumbs. Pan-fry and serve in a sandwich or with a heaping side of sauerkraut plus grainy mustard.

Chicken and Guac

Sauté or grill a pounded breast. Season it with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of homemade guacamole. Top with quartered roasted tomatillos, if desired.

Garlic Lemon Herb

Cook a pounded, seasoned breast in an oiled grill pan over medium-high heat till done, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Top with minced garlic, thyme, and lemon zest.

Tomato Basil

Sauté or grill a pounded breast and serve atop tomato slices that were salted and sprinkled with finely minced garlic 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil.

Become a Thigh Master

Shop for boneless, skinless thighs. You’ll cut down on cooking time without sacrificing succulence. Unless otherwise noted, each recipe on this page calls for four thighs, seasoned well with salt and pepper.

Savor the Glorious, Crispy Skin

The chicken’s skin is quite possibly the tastiest part of the entire bird. Once the fat is rendered out, the remaining connective tissue and protein crisps and turns golden brown. One bite will silence your skepticism.

Cook

First, save up the skin from several chickens—it freezes well, and making one big batch is easier. Place the skin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add salt and pepper. Cover with another sheet of parchment and then stack another baking sheet on top of that. Roast the skin at 350˚F till browned and crispy, 20 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy

Think of these chips two ways. First, they make a great protein snack. While the crisped skin is still warm, dust it with smoked paprika, chile powder, or Old Bay seasoning. Second, you can crumble the chips and add to green beans or salads. Oh, and keep any grease—you can use the fat to sauté potatoes (or cook more chicken).

Quit Feeling Guilty

Wait, won’t this stuff give you a big fat heart attack? The skin may be high in saturated fat, but this kind of fat isn’t the heart slayer that scientists once thought it was. Plus, the skin from half a chicken has about 287 calories and 11 grams of protein. By contrast, those 24 Doritos Cool Ranch chips have 300 calories and 4 grams of protein.

Photographs by Sam Kaplan

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The Stats / Chicken

Breast Skinless, 4oz, Roasted

Thigh Skinless, 4oz, Roasted

Calories

187

201

Protein Grams

35

27

Fat Grams

4

9

Even More Thigh Recipes

Unless otherwise noted, each recipe below calls for four thighs, seasoned well with salt and pepper.

Thai Coconut Soup

In a large oiled pan on medium high, sauté a sliced shallot. Add chicken (either whole or cut into chunks) and cook till browned. Add 1 Tbsp green or red Thai chile paste and cook, stirring, until well incorporated. Then add enough coconut milk to cover the chicken, along with some sliced carrot, scallions, snow peas, and red onion. Simmer till the chicken is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Saltimbocca

On each thigh, place a fresh sage leaf and a thick slab of fresh mozzarella; then wrap it with a slice of prosciutto to form a bundle. In a hot, oiled, oven-safe skillet, sear the thighs on both sides until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet with the thighs to a 400˚F oven and roast until the mozzarella is melted and the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve the thighs on pasta or alongside grilled asparagus.

Paprikash

In an oiled pan over medium-high heat, sauté a handful of diced onion till tender. Add chopped chicken thighs and cook till browned. Add 3 Tbsp paprika and stir until the onion is coated. Add 1 cup white wine; when the liquid has reduced by half, add 1 cup chicken stock and keep cooking until the chicken is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add ½ cup sour cream, stirring it in as you remove the pan from the heat.

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